PLEXIFORM

We investigated the functional, typological and experiential possibilities in rehabilitating a ‘dead’ regional mall in Richmond, BC, a major city-suburb adjacent to Vancouver. By investigating the architectural implications of the term ‘plex’, or ‘plexus’ (a complex body, collection, or set of things; a web, network or any very intertwined or interwoven mass) we arrived at solutions for the rehabilitation of this large, neglected site through the inventive incorporation of various programs and urban amenities.

This particular proposal seeks to generate social interaction by establishing the act of shopping as the catalyst for such interactions, rather than the destination. The program is determined by classifying activities rather than by common zoning or land use approaches. The way the program is distributed internally is derived from a transitional strategy between a loud/busy condition and a calm one, both in plan and in section. Activities are then assigned given their natural inclination towards either condition. A three-dimensional matrix is generated to allocate different programs within the plexiform structure.